19/09/2019 Stuart McMaster
Michael Blamire-Brown the President of Stourbridge Historical Society welcomed 56 members and 15 visitors to the first meeting after the summer break. Michael spoke of the success of the two trips that took place during the summer; Walcott Hall at Lydbury North and a walk around Alcester with Tim Bridges. He then introduced Stuart McMaster who gave a talk entitled The Industrial Heritage of the Black Country.
Stuart explained that he would be focussing on two companies; the well-known Noah Hingley and Sons of Netherton and the less well-known Bailey Pegg and Co. Noah Hingley began making chains in Cradley and moved to Netherton around 1852 where it became the manufacturer of a large-scale chain and anchors on the Dudley no. 2 canal. Stuart showed the audience and an example of a stud chain cable which the company produced and explained that the stud element of the chain provides strength and prevents the chain from tangling.
As the firm progressed through the mid 1800’s they started making stock anchors which required great muscle power. In 1850 they acquired a Nasmyth Steam Hammer which enabled them to produce bigger anchors. In 1910 Harland and Wolf gave Hingleys and order to provide chain cables and the anchor for the Titanic. It was the world’s largest anchor weighing 15 tonnes 16 cwt, 18 feet 6 inches long and 10 feet 9 inches wide. It was towed to Dudley Station by 20 shire horses, taken by train to Fleetwood and then shipped to Harland and Wolf in Belfast. Stuart showed a photo of the anchor and the horses transporting it, one of the fore deck anchor under the sea and one of the re-enactments of its journey in 2010. Interestingly, the cost of producing the original was £261 7sh 9d and the replica £50,000.
In the 1920’s Hingleys diversified into alloy forging and in the 1930’s and early 1940’s they produced parts for the Gloster Whittle jet engine. During world War II the company became a centre for the munitions industry and made parts for the Navy. In 1960 they stopped making wrought iron; the last company in the Black Country to do so. In 1969 Wright’s Forge and Engineering Limited of Tipton merged with Hingleys whereupon it was renamed Wright Hingley Ltd. In 1974 it became part of John Folkes plc of Lye.
Bailey Pegg and Co. began life at 81 Bankside London but moved the manufacturing element of the business to Brierley Hill when the company received a large order for shot and shell (the generic name for artillery ammunition) in 1820. Stuart had brought some cannonballs to the meeting. He explained that the shot was a solid cannonball and the shell a hollow one and described the production method. The move to the Black Country enabled the raw materials required, which were readily available in the area, to be moved easily along the Stourbridge Canal. In 1858 the coming of the Great Western Railway made it easier still. Stuart showed an interesting photo of fitters in the foundry. Eventually they began making cannons which were highly regarded around the world. They were made of cast iron and the core was bored out of the solid piece. He explained that cannons are numbered by the size cannon ball that they can fire. The cannons that they made for the Government never failed a test. The audience also saw photos of a 32 pounder in China, a 4 pounder in Sweden, 2 pounder in Norway and a 6 pounder that was used at Mafeking. Two cannons made by Bailey Pegg in 1822 were sent to Canada in the mid-1800s. When the Hudson Bay Company lost a significant number of miners who broke their contracts to go to look for gold in San Francisco they were advised to recruit in Brierley Hill England. The families that went landed in Nanaimo 27th November 1854 after a 6-month voyage. A wooden fort was erected to keep them safe and two Bailey Pegg 6 pounders were installed there. They are both still in Nanaimo for the benefit of tourists. Interestingly, there is a Nanaimo Way in Brierly Hill and a Brierly Hill Street in Nanaimo and the arrival of the miners is still commemorated in Nanaimo
On Church Hill in Brierley Hill there is a 6 pounder which was presented to the town when Baden Powell took Mafeking. Stuart was a prime mover in its recent renovation following a long period of neglect. The company’s production of cannons ended in the 1890’s after which other forms of work followed such as the production of pipe. The company closed in 1966.
Michael thanked Stuart for his fascinating talk. the next meeting will be on 17th October when John Pettit will speak on The Rothschild Dynasty.
16/05/2019 Max Keen
On May 16th Vice President Trevor Sidaway welcomed everyone to a meeting of The Stourbridge Historical Society where the speaker for the evening was the ever-popular Max Keene whose subject was Hereward the Wake. As always Max was resplendent in full costume. He invited the audience to consider the significant weight of his helmet which was of Saxon design. He admitted that there was an element of guesswork in his attire but Hereward would have almost certainly used the Danish Broadsword. He revealed that Wake means watchful and then went on to demonstrate that Hereward was required to live up to that meaning for much of his life.
Hereward was born in Bourne in Lancashire and interestingly his mother was Lady Godiva. He was frequently depicted as an all action hero and many of the adventures of Robin hood are supposedly based on his activities. He was so wild in his youth that his Father requested that Edward the Confessor declare him an outlaw. The death of Edward left England vulnerable and Hereward returned to England after a period in Flanders to find that William the Conqueror and his army had seized his Father’s land, killed some of his family and mounted their heads on spikes. A period of revenge followed where it is said that Hereward killed 14 Normans with a double handed axe. Hereward’s safe fortress was The Isle of Ely which had a marshy and reedy terrain which rendered it difficult for William and his men to negotiate. William had dismissed Hereward’s exploits as inconsequential but came to respect Hereward when despite building a causeway he still struggled to control the Fenlands or capture Ely. Eventually, witchcraft which was deployed by William and betrayal by Abbot Thurston whose monks showed William’s army a secret passageway was to lead to Herward’s defeat by William in 1071.
It is said that after the defeat he went to live in the greenwood; another clear link to the tales of Robin Hood. Subsequently it is believed that William invited Hereward to make peace at Winchester. Max explained that the means of Hereward’s death is a matter of conjecture but what is clear is that his life was one of heroism, myth and legend and that he left a legacy. This includes HMS Herward, a train that was named after him, a BBC series about him made in the 1960’s and references to him on a Pink Floyd track and in an episode of Hancock’s Half Hour.
Trevor thanked Max for an entertaining talk which he delivered with his usual enthusiasm despite suffering from a debilitating virus. The Society has two trips during the summer months so the next meeting will talk place on September 19th when Stuart McMaster will speak on Two Black Country Engineering Companies.
09/05/2019 James Measall
An extra meeting of Stourbridge Historical Society took place on 9th May. President Michael Blamire-Brown welcomed everyone and introduced the American speaker James Measall whose talk was entitled The Stourbridge School of Art and the Local Glass Industry 1850 -1905.
James explained that as an Honary Research Fellow at Birmingham University he wanted to study the impact of the Stourbridge School of Art on the Glass Industry between 1850 and 1905. In 1840 a school of design was started as part of the Mechanics Institute whose benefactors included J H H Foley, Lord Lyttleton, a member of the Pargeter family, and Robert Scott a barrister with a strong interest in education. Its purpose was to teach basic drawing. By 1851 a special meeting was held to determine whether there was enough support to fund a separate School of Design. James said that the meeting was attended by the ‘movers and shakers’ of Stourbridge. The first benefactors included Lord Ward, Lord Lyttleton, Robert Scott and James foster. The sums raised fell short of the £2500 required but they did manage to raise enough for a building in Theatre Street. James explained that it would have been roughly where Poundland in the Ryemarket is now situated. An interesting photo of a schedule of classes and fees revealed that the General Evening Class cost 6 shillings per quarter. John Northwood one of the co-owners of J & J Northwood a glass decorating firm was a student.
A register from 1864 -1874 rescued by historian and past President of Stourbridge Historical Society, H Jack Haden, showed the occupation of students in attendance and their ages. James found it useful to verify that Harry Northwood who emigrated to the USA in 1881 and in whom he had a special interest, had been a student at the Stourbridge School of Art. The register showed that his father was a glass maker and that Harry had been a student there at nine years of age and very likely stayed until he went to the USA at 20 years of age. The associated list of Art Masters revealed that they were well educated and highly proficient in their particular field but that they had little connection with the glass or iron industry. James considered that their benefit to local industry may have been somewhat lacking. The masters would have all had different skills but all worked within the South Kensington Curriculum which was still in operation in the 1930’s. The curriculum included tuition in drawing, shading, colour and design. James showed a photo of James Hill who was an employee of J & J Northwood. He was a multi prize winning student. The photo of his drawings for etchings on glass which was J & J Northwood’s forte were breath-taking. William Northwood also a prize-winning student produced superb designs for cameo work. Another successful student was George Pope an employee of Webbs. All are examples of the school of art benefiting the glass industry.
In 1905 Andrew Carnegie gave £3,000 toward the building of the Stourbridge Free Library and Technical Institute. In the same year between 24 April and 27 May an exhibition was held entitled Stourbridge Art and Industrial Exhibition. Sadly, James had not been able to find out what had been exhibited.
Whilst living is the USA Harry Northwood was involved with several different glass companies and also set up his own company. James showed photos of Harry’s work which was heavily influenced by nature and it is clear that his time learning at Stourbridge school of art contributed to, and impacted on, the glass that he designed and produced and also aided his success.
21/03/2019 Colin Knipe
The March meeting of Stourbridge Historical Society took place on Thursday 21st March. It was attended by 82 members and 16 visitors. President Michael – Blamire Brown welcomed everyone and introduced the speaker Colin Knipe whose talk was entitled Teddy Gray’s – a Dudley Institution.
Colin explained that dating the founding of the business was difficult as the gates of the factory state that it began in 1826 but his research, including work done using the census, suggests that it was 1876. The business was started by Frances Ovary Gray a confectioner and sugar boiler. His eldest son John travelled around selling sweets, including cough sweets, from a horse and cart, he also traded on markets and then opened a shop in Wolverhampton Street Dudley. John was a rogue. Between 1896 and 1909 he was charged with selling sweets containing paraffin, convicted of driving his horse and cart without a light (3 times,) drinking after closing time, and convicted of criminal damage and being drunk. He went bankrupt in 1888 and 1899. After the Great War he and his brother Harry worked together and clearly, they were very successful. In the 1920s they were advertising in Cornwall for John Gray and Sons lettered rock. In 1921 the company became a limited liability company.
In 1922 John was found dead in the canal at Stratford upon Avon. The firm was taken over by his son Edward (Teddy) who was in his 20’s. Teddy’s passion was breeding wirehaired fox terriers. He was an accomplished breeder and the breed features on the wrappers of the company’s famous herbal sweets. Teddy was very successful and the firm expanded and moved to North Street in 1933. During the second World War rationing of sugar impacted on the business; they produced only one tonne of sweets rather than the usual six tonnes. The audience were clearly staggered by the quantity. By 1955 the firm was doing so well that Teddy’s daughter had to obtain a special licence to get married on a Sunday as her father refused to close the business on a weekday or a Saturday as it would affect production. Teddy died in 1966 aged 63 years and the running of the business passed to his daughter Betty Guest and her son. The company still have shops in Bewdley, the Churchill Precinct in Dudley and also Wednesbury in addition to stalls on markets.
Colin then showed a film made in 2011 by Martin Parr as part of his Black Country stories compilation. The film showed very an old-fashioned business using very old equipment. Many of the processes were done by hand. One example is the lettering and rolling of the rock. The footage of the making of coconut ice and humbugs was especially memorable. The apparent lack of health and safety measures drew gasps from the audience especially the footage of workers carrying vats of boiling sugar. Many of the employees had been with the company for all their working lives. It was, as Michael said in his vote of thanks, a fascinating talk.
Secretary, David Hickman announced that there will be two meetings in May. On 9th May James Measall will speak on The Stourbridge School of Art and the Local Glass Industry 1850-1905. This will be a ticketed evening. Tickets are free to members, £3 for visitors and can be obtained from the David. On Thursday 16th May Max Keen will deliver a talk on Hereward the Wake.
17/01/2019 Peter Bates
Trevor Sidaway, the new President of Stourbridge Historical Society, welcomed 78 members and 12 visitors and wished everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year. He introduced the speaker Peter Bates who proceeded to tell The Story of Woolworths.
Frank Winfield Woolworths was born in 1852 in Rodman New York. He was fascinated by buildings from a young age took a book keeping course on leaving school. He had a poor start in his early business career leaving both Augsbury and Moore and Adam Bushnell as a failure. He was given to taking to his bed and sobbing for weeks when things were difficult. When he married Jennie Creighton, he asked Moore to reinstate him. Moore sent him to manage a small store which failed.
Astonishingly he persuaded Moore to lend him $300 to open a store in Utica but that failed too. He then had the notion that location was important and opened a store in Lancaster which was a great success and took $120 on the first day. His brother Sumner suggested selling a range of goods which would be sold at 10 cents in addition to those sold at 5 cents. Peter explained that this was a winning formula.
Frank frequently used family and friends to run his ever-growing number of stores. He toured the country for good quality stock and determined never to borrow money again. He had managers but he was always the boss. He introduced the idea of the ‘loss lead’ and insisted that all counters were highly polished and staffed by pretty girls.
In 1894 he made his first trip to Europe and by 1895 Woolworth’s made its first $1million by 1900 it was $5 million in 1901. He developed a love of the good life and his health suffered as a result. He had a lifelong fear of Dentists. In 1901 he moved his family to a mansion in New York City. In 1911 an amalgamation of stores formed the F W Woolworth Corporation. In 1911 he bought a shop in Church Street in Liverpool. 24,000 people queued when the shop opened and the first day’s takings were worth £48,000 in today’s money. F W Woolworth introduced what became known as Pick and Mix; self-served sweets. This retail method is still used by Tesco, Asda and Morrisons. By 1948 there were 770 Woolworth stores in Great Britain.
Peter showed a photo the Woolworth Tower which Frank had built. Completed in 1913 and the tallest building in the world for 18 years it was paid for in cash. Frank saw it has his legacy. Frank’s second daughter Edna married Franklyn Hutton and they had a daughter named Barbara. Tragically Edna killed herself on discovering Franklyn’s infidelity. Barbara was effectively brought up by hired hep became very wild. The directors of Woolworths bought her stock which made her immensely wealthy. A succession of 7 failed marriages and costly divorces meant that she ‘got through’ $50million and when she died left only $3,00. By 1997 Woolworth in USA had been taken over by a rival and closed their remaining stores. In Britain in 2008 Woolworth banks called in their debts and the company ceased to trade.